Radiator valve



DH1 5, 1933- w. c. KALNING 1,937,763

RADIATOR VALVE Filed nec. 15, lse- ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 5, 1933 UNITED-STATES PATENT OFFICE RADIATOR K VALVE William-Charles Kalning, Linden, N. J.

Application December 15, 1932 Serial No. 647,305

3 Claims. (Cl. 236-66) `Ihis i invention Vrelates `to radiator valves and particularly to valves of theY type` in which an element responsive to temperature changes is adapted to automatically openand close avent in j a radiaton i l .i Y

In a `steam or vapor heating system it is often necessary to vent the radiators of the system in order to permit the air in the system to escapeand allow said system to be filled with the steam or vapor; Moreover in such a system whenthe steam is shut offand the radiators allowed to cool, it is desirable to open the vent `in order to admit air thereto to permit `condensation to.` drain out of thesystem, for instance, into the boiler. Various kinds of valve controlledventing means for this purpose have been devised and used for some time `and I have learned that for various reasons the valves heretofore used have not been entirely satisfactory. `For example, when oil and/or dirt collect on the'valve orvalve seats controlling said vents the valves are apt to stick and not open the valve will move `toward and away from` its seat and remain in proper alignment. I `have discovered that when the valve casing, in which the vent and valve seat are mounted, is made of i different material from that. of the thermal element thatga valve mounted upon said thermal element will operate badly because unequal expansion of the material in the casing and element changes the relative position between the valve and seat. This difference in expansion accounts for one of the reasons why a conical or ball type valve may not close tightly upon its seat because the difference in expansion of the materials upon which these cooperating partsV are mounted causes a movement or displacement of the relative position of the valve and valve seat in a direction normal to the path of movement traversedby the valve toward and away from its seat in opening and closing.r The effect of this displacementis pronounced in the case of valves 1 having what I have described as a pilot or guide plug to iit into the vent or seat to direct the closing movement thereof, because the pilot may become pinched and the valve will not open.

One of the objects of my present invention therefore, is to providea device of the'class described having what I describe as a sharp edged vent or valve seat, and a fiat valve or Vsurface having no projection or protrusion to enter the valve seat in order to close the valve, said surface beinggreater than that necessary toclose the vent and adapted to cooperate therewith over different portions of said surface as the diierence in expansioncauses the relative displacement of the parts of the valve above referred to.

Another object of my invention isto provide an improved means for forming and mounting an element responsive to temperatrue changes in a casingremote from a vent to be opened and 7;. closed-thereby. i l i l. 1

Another object is to makea device of the class described in such a way that the same will be efficient in operation and inexpensive to manufacture.

Other objects of my invention willbecome apparent from the followingspecification thereof and the drawing referred to therein, in which Figure 1 illustrates a fragmentary section of a radiator with my vent valve and casingv mounted, 80 thereon. i l i l Figure 2 is a sectional elevation of my device showing the manner in which the same may be screwed intoan opening provided in a radiator.

Figure` 3 isa sectional plan view taken on line 85 3-3 of the device shown in Figure 2, and looking inthe direction of the arrows.,` t p o Figure 4 is an end view of the device shown in Figure 2` and looking in the direction of `the arrows. i. i o .i Figure `5 is a sectional view of the device shown in Figure 2 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 6 is a plan view of a development Vof `the thermal element, shown in Figures 2 and 3, but drawn to a reduced scale, before the attaching end of the same is coiled and ready for assembly in the casing.

Referring now to Figure l., it will be seen that I provide a valve casing 10 adapted to screw into a radiator 11. The casing l0 is bored out at 12 loo to provide communication between the interior thereof and the interior of the radiator 13 and also to form a closed end 14. The outside of the casing is threadedV at 15 and provided with a screw slot 16 at the closed end by which it may 105 be screwed into the radiator. A vent 20 is formed in the casing in any suitable way. In the exemplary embodiment of my invention here shown, however, the vent 20 is formed at the center of a bushing 21 disposed in said casing proximate 110 the end 14. The inner end of the bushing 2l is formed convex so as to provide a sharp valve seat within the casing 10. A T-shaped thermal element, see Figures 2 and 6, having a body portion 22 and a head portion 23 about which the former is coiled so that the ends of the head portion project transversely of the body, see 24, is provided for closing the vent in a manner to be hereinafter described. The element 22 is mounted in the casing by pressing the ends of the head 23 into notches 25 formed in the end of the housing. The material of which the element 22 is made is such that the same is operatively responsive to temperature changes when it is heated by team fiowing through the radiator, and the shape thereof will thereby be changed to cause a free end 26 of the element to bear against the end of the bushing 21 and close the vent 20.

From the above it will be seen that the thermal element presents a substantially at surface to the sharp end of the bushing 2l, Itwill also be seen that as the radiator and casing become heated and expand and the element 22 also becomes heated and expands, that the casing and element will expand differently, if they are made of dissimilar metals having different co-efcients of expansion. This heating will cause a relative movement laterally with respect to one another irrespective of whether element 22 is in position to close the vent or not and at the same time will cause a movement of the free end of the element 22 to close the valve seat. I have found that when a valve of this type is used for opening and closing a radiator vent that the same will not stick and will always respond to temperature changes to the point of affording a sensitive control means for opening and closing the vent. It will be understood that the device shown in Figure 2 is drawn on an enlarged scale and that it is not necessary to provide for an extended movement of the valve element away from the valve seat in order to open said valve.

Figure 2 illustrates the position of my device in a steam heated system and it will be understood that thetemperature of the system is such that the material of the element has been thermally expanded or tensioned to hold the free end 26 in contact with the end of the bushing 2l to close the vent 20. If now the steam is turned off and the system is allowed to cool, the element 22 in cooling will move to the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 2, to admit air to the system, and allow the condensation to drain out of the radiator. When it is again desired to heat the system, steam will be turned into it in the usual way and as it enters the radiator the air will be expelled through the vent 20 until the steam has heated the element 22 and raised the temperature thereof sufficiently to operate the same, i. e., cause it to move upwardly, to close the vent.

While I have described what now seems to be the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that the same is susceptible of modification Without departing from the spirit of my invention or exceeding the scope of the appended claims in which I define the same.

What I claim is:

l. In a device of the class described, the combination of a hollow casing closed at one end and adapted to be secured to a radiator or the like with the interior of said casing in communication with the interior of said radiator, notches in said casing proximate the open end thereof, a vent in said casing proximate the closedfend thereof; said vent being formed by a bushing, having a convex end, disposed in said casing; and a T-shaped thermal element operatively responsive to temperature changes in said radiator and casing to open and close said vent, said element being bent in the form of a coil about the head portion of the T with the ends thereof projecting transversely of the body portion thereof and secured in the casing with the ltransverse ends disposed in said notches.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a hollow casing closed at one end and adapted to be secured to a radiator or the like with the interior of said casing in communication with the interior of said radiator, notches in said casing proximate the open end thereof, a vent in said casing proximate the closed end thereof; said vent being formed by a bushing, having a convex end, disposed in said casing; and a T-shaped thermal element operatively responsive to temperature changes in said radiator and casing to open and close said vent, the head portion of the T being secured in the casing with the ends thereof disposed in said notches.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination of a hollow casing closed at one end and adapted to be secured to a radiator or the like with the interior of said casing in communication with the interior of said radiator, notches in said casing proximate the open end thereof, a vent in said casing proximate the closed end thereof; and a T-shaped thermal element operatively responsive to temperature changes in said radiator and casing to open and close said vent, the head portion of the T being secured 'in the casing with the ends thereof disposed insai'd notches.

WILLIAM CHARLES KALNING. 

